Review: The Secrets of Lily Graves by Sarah Strohmeyer

The Secrets of Lily Graves
by Sarah Strohmeyer
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Publication Date: May 13th 2014
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Pages: 304
ISBN: 9780062259608
Genre: Young Adult | Contemporary | Mystery
Source: Edelweiss

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With the intrigue of Pretty Little Liars and plenty of romance, bestselling author Sarah Strohmeyer weaves a story of secrets and lies—set in a funeral parlor.

Growing up in a house of female morticians, Lily Graves knows all about buried secrets. She knows that perfect senior-class president Erin Donohue isn’t what she seems. She knows why Erin’s ex-boyfriend, hot football player Matt Houser, broke up with her. And she also knows that, even though she says she and Matt are just friends, there is something brewing between them—something Erin definitely did not like.

But secrets, even ones that are long buried, have a way of returning to haunt their keeper.

So when Erin is found dead the day after attacking Lily in a jealous rage, Lily's and Matt’s safe little lives, and the lives of everyone in their town of Potsdam, begin to unravel. And their relationship—which grew from innocent after-school tutoring sessions to late-night clandestine rendezvous—makes them both suspects.

As her world crumbles around her, Lily must figure out the difference between truth and deception, genuine love and a web of lies. And she must do it quickly, before the killer claims another victim. (Goodreads)

What drew me in first about The Secrets of Lily Graves was the cover. I admit it, I can’t resist a pretty cover, and this one was definitely pretty. I’m really glad I decided to read this book, it made for a quick, mysterious read!

When the senior class president is found dead just a day after attacking Lily Graves, things in the small town of Potsdam start to fall apart. But was this death exactly what it seems? When Lily herself becomes a suspect, it’s up to her to figure out this mystery, before someone else becomes a victim.

The main character in the story, Lily, was a very interesting character. Having grown up in a funeral home, death does not bother her in the least. She lives in a funeral home full off women; her mother, grandmother and aunt, who all run the family business. These are all a great group of women, by the way, and it was nice that she them watching over her. I love that while Lily is definitely not part of the ‘in’ crowd, she still manages to feel good about herself and she doesn’t let others get her down. I love that!

Matt was the love interest in the story. To be honest, when we are first introduced to him, I thought he was a pretty big jerk, and I felt that way through a bit of the book. It really took a while as the story progressed for him to ‘prove’ himself to me, but I kind of liked it that way, if that makes any sense at all. There’s not really a whole lot of romance in the story, and I liked that because it wasn’t there to overpower the story.

The storyline for the book was really mysterious and interesting as well. I guessed who the killer was pretty early on in the story; I’m really rocking my detective skills lately. It wasn’t really obvious who it was either, and sometimes I wonder if I was wrong, but I wasn’t. That being said, there is still a pretty huge surprise at the end of the book that left me feeling really bad for Lily. I really enjoyed the mystery in the story, and I think that Lily would make an excellent detective.

Overall; I really enjoyed reading this book. It was a quick and mysterious read that kept my interest very well. I’m really looking forward to read more books by Sarah Strohmeyer in the future.